Popping in Speakers - Receiver/Amp Related? (1 Viewer)

[Ron Duca]

I recently added a Sherbourn 5/1500A amp to my system and am now using my Yamaha RX-V995 receiver as a pre/pro. I had a buzzing problem that was related to outlets and light switches in my house using common neutrals and grounds. I resolved that issue, as detailed in another thread. buzzing
I still have a problem with a popping sound in my speakers. Here is what happens. The amp has a "sleep" mode that it goes into when it has not received a signal from the receiver for a few minutes. Every time the amp is awakened from its sleep mode, usually by just turning up the volume on the receiver or un-pausing a DVD or CD that has been paused for several minutes, something is happening that causes a popping sound in three of my speakers. When the amp wakes up, it makes a click sound. The popping sound is simultaneous.
Do you think there is an issue with the amp itself, or maybe amp/receiver combination, or perhaps the pre-outs on the receiver?
Ron

 

[Mike Matheson]

Ron,

The "click" emanates from the amp itself, correct? (If so, it may be the sound of relays--in which case it would be normal and there's probably nothing you could do about it)

 

[jehremy]

Can you turn off the amps "sleep mode"?

 

[JackS]

This question has been asked before. The problem is with the receiver and is common with many receivers. Excess DC current to the inputs causes the popping through the speakers. Some amps have a DC blocking capacitor which prevents this. The only danger I'm aware of is if volumn is high, the pop could damage or blow your tweeters. The remedy is to first power up the receiver and then the source and then the amplifier. Shut down is just the reverse. This should be good news because you can be fairly positive now, that all components are working normally. I'ts just something you'll learn to live with. In the future , if you decide to upgrade to another receiver, this would be something to keep in mind, and check the compatibility of the upgrade with your amp before buying.

 

[Ron Duca]

The amp's sleep mode cannot be turned off. I wish it could.

There are no popping sounds when the units are first powered up, so the power up sequence is not an issue. I've tried it every way to Sunday.

The automatic signal sensing (SLEEP mode) is described in the manual like this: "If no signal is played through the amplifier for about five minutes, the amplifier will enter a SLEEP mode which turns off the current running through it in order to conserve energy."

The popping sounds only occur when the amp is awakened from its sleep by receiving a signal from the receiver. I performed several tests by connecting receiver outputs to various amp channel inputs, one at a time. There was a consistent pattern. No matter which receiver output I connected to which amp channel input, there were pops in the speakers connect to amp channels 1, 2 and 3 and NO pops in channels 4 and 5.

I thought for sure the problem was with the receiver outputs, but these tests make me believe the problem is with the amp.

Ron